


Better Than None

by liketogetlost



Category: Social Network (2010)
Genre: Blood, Domestic Violence, Dubious Consent, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-28
Updated: 2011-04-28
Packaged: 2017-10-18 18:54:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/192127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liketogetlost/pseuds/liketogetlost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They've been fighting more and more lately.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Than None

They've been fighting more and more lately.

Eduardo's been coming home later and later, his new job taking up most of his time and head space. Normally Mark wouldn't care, probably, because he's always wired into whatever is happening at Facebook but he's had less work to do and more time on his hands. So when Eduardo comes home at past midnight on a Thursday, Mark's been drinking and he's not happy.

Usually when Mark gets angry he just gets quiet. Tonight is not one of those times.

They begin screaming at each other over the usual. Eduardo being late, him never being around, Mark not picking up his share of the work around the house and Eduardo doesn't see the point in hiring help when it's just a matter of Mark putting his goddamn dishes in the washer after he's done with them and what does he have to do all day anyway, Facebook hasn't had any new developments in months.

At this Mark's eyes narrow in that way that used to scare Eduardo, but doesn't anymore. Usually at this point he'd go into the bedroom and slam the door, and Eduardo might throw something at the wall to exhaust his rage. One time it was a chair and the cops showed up at the door because the neighbors thought he was throwing his boyfriend around the room. That had been humilating and had led to another big fight because, “What if that had gotten around? Facebook could have been ruined”. It was always goddamn fucking Facebook with Mark.

This time Mark throws his glass on the floor and Eduardo feels the blood in his veins pumping faster at the sight of the pieces all over the hardwood. Yet another mess Mark won't clean up. And then Mark gets in his face, telling him about how he's such a fucking perfectionist, how he feels like he has to be better than Mark, how he has out work him and prove to him that he never needed Facebook in the first place, and then he sneers and says:

“You've become just like your fucking father.”

It's not a choice he makes. It's like he can't stop himself. One minute his stomach is in knots and his teeth are grinding over each other and the anger just takes over and then he hears a crack, and his knuckles hurt. There's this release in his body and he remembers being fifteen and staring up at his father feeling more humiliation than pain. Right now he sees that same look in Mark's eyes.

And shit, his ring must have cut Mark's lip because he's bleeding. His eyes are watering, his cheeks are red and there's blood dripping from his lower, swelling lip.

“What the _fuck_ , Eduardo?” Mark yells, pushing Eduardo a little and turning to wipe his mouth. Eduardo reaches out and grabs his arm, probably too hard, and stops him.

“Don't.” His own voice sounds odd to his ears. Soft, and small.

“What?!” Mark snaps, trying to pull away.

All his rage is gone, it's like it's melted from his body to the floor. Eduardo feels instead a cold fear in his chest, because he's hurt Mark and Mark is _fucking bleeding_ because Eduardo hit him and he keeps thinking about it in specifics because he can't comprehend what he's just done.

The worst part about it is the sight of that red streak down his chin is making Eduardo hard. Impossibly hard.

Eduardo raises his hand and Mark flinches, and fuck, he feels awful at that but even more awful at how he inwardly enjoys how can scare Mark so easily. He strokes his thumb over Mark's cheek and shakes his head.

“Oh God, Mark. You're bleeding. I'm so sorry, baby, I'm so sorry.” Eduardo leans over and presses his mouth to Mark's, gripping his neck hard to keep him from pulling away when he winces at the pain. His bottom lip is split and sticky wet against his own, and Eduardo licks into his mouth and tastes bitter iron. He moans a little and Mark pushes him away.

“What are you doing?” Mark says, face a bigger mess, blood smeared across his cheek. Eduardo grips him at his waist and walks him backwards until he's sitting on the arm of the couch, eyes confused and searching Eduardo's for an answer he doesn't have.

Eduardo gets down on his knees, mumbling quietly as he undoes Mark's pants. _"So sorry baby, let me make it better, make you feel good"_. Mark lets him, hands in fists at his sides, shaking. Eduardo realizes his own hands are shaking when it takes him two tries to pull down his zipper.

But then he's pushing his face against Mark's crotch, nosing the hard line in his briefs, and fuck he's hard too, already wet through the fabric at the tip, and Eduardo knows it's okay because Mark is hard for him and he wants him and it's okay. Eduardo mouths him, sucks him through his underwear, and pulls back to see red staining the white cotton where his mouth was, Mark's blood left around his lips.

He looks up at Mark, who's looking down at him like he's not sure who he's seeing. Eduardo suddenly wants to cry, and he reaches up and runs his hand under Mark's hoodie, over his stomach, curling his fingers in and gripping his hip hard like he's about to fly away. "Please, I didn't mean," Eduardo's next word comes out on a sob. " _Mark_."

Mark's eyes are still watering, but he nods and swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. Mark looks so huge standing over him, and Eduardo feels so small and desperate, and he just wants to suck his cock and make it better and kiss him again, taste his blood and he should feel sick but Mark looks so beautiful like this.

Mark reaches down and strokes his fingers through Eduardo's hair. "I know, Wardo. I know." He sounds broken and tired.

Eduardo takes out his cock and sucks him nice and slow, the way he likes. He doesn't look up at him, because the adrenaline is wearing off and he can't. Still, the heavy weight of his dick in his mouth feels good, it feels familiar and it makes him feel like everything will be back to normal once Mark comes. That they can forget this whole thing ever happened.

Mark's legs shake and he gasps, coming in hot lines down Eduardo's throat and he swallows it all because he loves Mark, really, and he only wants to make him happy. He pulls off and sits back on the floor, wiping his mouth and watching as Mark tucks himself back in his pants. He sits down next to him and tries to wipe the drying blood off his chin.

Eduardo reaches up and runs a thumb over his bottom lip, catching his eye as he grimaces. "You might need stitches." He says softly.

Mark pushes his hand away at the wrist and shakes his head. "No."

Eduardo nods. If the hospital staff talks, bad press, Eduardo can hear it all in his head in Mark's voice. He's not about to fight with him now. He almost forgets that because of what he just did he has no right to.

"Can I at least... You should clean it." Mark nods.

Eduardo gets up and goes to the bathroom for peroxide and cotton balls. He finds some tiny stitch band aids he didn't even know they had in the back of the drawer, and picks up the box with shaking hands. He's about to leave the bathroom when he suddenly feels a wave of nausea hit him so hard he has to drop everything to the floor and run to bend over the toilet.

Mark must hear him retching because he comes in and stands next to him until he's done. He hands him a wad of toilet paper to wipe his mouth and his running nose. Eduardo takes it and cleans his face, but once he looks up at Mark he feels his knees go weak before he falls to the floor in tears.

He grips Mark's jeans in his fists and buries his face in his thigh as he sobs. He says he's sorry, that he'll never do it again, that he loves him more than anything and he'll be home more, he promises, just don't leave him, Mark can't leave him, he's all he has, please, he's so sorry.

He cries until he can breathe again and then Mark pulls him up gently and runs his thumbs under his eyes. He shrugs, and shakes his head. "It's alright, Wardo." And his voice tells Eduardo that he believes him.

Eduardo remembers the first time his father told him it would never happen again.

He wishes he believed himself as much as Mark believes him.


End file.
